Ironing machines



June 29, 1965 w. JACK, JR

IRONING MACHINES Filed Aug. 1:, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 29, 1965 w. JACK, JR

IRONING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2- Filed Aug. 13, 1962 DVE'AITOE June 29, 1965 w. JACK, JR

IRONING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 13, 1962 mw wg gg United States Patent 3,191,325 IRONING MACHINES William Jack, Jr., West Kilbride, Scotland, assignor to Baker Perkins Jaxous Limited Filed Aug. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 216,553 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Aug. 24, 1961,

30,572/ 61 3 'Claims. (CI. 38-56) to provide a relatively large number of rolls, e.g. five, in-

tandem. Secondly, the padding on therolls becomesjcompacted in use and it is accordingly necessary to provide for individual vertical adjustment of the rolls in relation to the bed plate. The requirement for shifting the rolls downwardly from time totime is an inconvenience and it is difficult to ensure that all the rolls are equally adjusted. The necessity for providing adjustable bearings for the rolls increases the cost of the machine and complicates the drive for the rolls. Also, once an adjustment has been made the clearance between the roll and its trough is no longer uniform around that part of the roll which is within the trough.

The ironing machine according to the invention comprises at least two padded rolls arranged in tandem for rotation about horizontal axes located at the same fixed level, flexible heated troughs, one for each roll, which embrace the lower portions of the rolls and cooperate with the rolls to provide pressure zones for ironing garments fed through the machine, jacks beneath the ends of the troughs for applying upward pressure to the ends of the troughs, and means for rotating the rolls to feed garments through the machine.

The ironing machine according to the invention thus avoids the above mentioned disadvantages since the rolls have no adjustment for height and the jacks permit the ends of the troughs to be raised to provide a uniform take up of the troughs around the rolls when adjustment of the machine is necessary to compensate for compaction of the padding.

The machine according to the invention has the advantages that no costly provision for adjustment of the bearings for the rolls is necessary, that the troughs can embrace the rolls over a larger proportion of the circumference with the result that the number of rolls can be reduced, e.g., to two, that adjustment of the troughs is a simple matter and can be carried out with accuracy and with uniformity and that, after adjustment, uniform clearance is maintained between each trough and the portion of the roll within it.

The jacks may be individually adjustable, but, we prefer to use jacks which are subject to pneumatic pressure and are interconnected to provide a self-compensating system which adjusts the troughs to accommodate compaction of the padding on the rolls. The jacks may conveniently be subject to air at a pressure of the order of 1 1b./sq. in. which provides suflicient ironing pressure, allows the jacks to yield slightly as garments pass through the machine and causes the jacks to lift the ends of the troughs as and when necessary to accommodate for compaction of the padding on the rolls.

Preferably each trough is double walled, the trough being filled with oil or other liquid and a steam heating pipe extending in serpentine configuration between the walls of the trough. Steam pipes arranged in this way can hold the steam pressure adequately and safety regulations do not debar the use of thin metal, e.g. A1" in thickness, for

the troughs.

As an alternative, each trough may consist of a thicker metal plate, having a steam channel cut therein in serpentine configuration and a thinner metal plate welded to the thinner plate at its edges and also at zones between the limbs of the steam channel.

While reference has been made to the troughs being steam heated they may, if desired, be heated by electricity or gas as an alternative.

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: a

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of an ironing machine,

FIG. 2 is a side view on a larger scale of one of the rollsand its associated trough,

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view,

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a stage in the manufacture of an alternative form of trough and FIG. 5 is a section on the line V-V in FIG. 4.

The machine shown in the drawings includes two horizontal rolls 10, each of which is covered by a layer 11 of padding. The rolls 10 are mounted on bearings located at the same fixed level and carry gears 12 driven by a common driving gear 13. The driving gear 13 is driven through reduction gearing 14, 15 and a belt drive 17 from an electric motor 16. The gear 12 on the left hand roll 10 drives through gearing 18 and a belt 19 a belt conveyor 20 for feeding garments into the machine. The lower portions of the rolls 10 are received in troughs 21 of sheet metal, which are pivoted at their inner ends on a central support 22 and at their outer ends to end supports 23. Continuous tapes of sheet material (one of which is shown at 24) are trained around the portions of the rolls 10 immersed in the troughs 21, over a conventional guide element such as the curved plate 30 in FIGURE 1, bridging the gap between the rolls 1010 and around rollers 27, 26, 29 and 28. These tapes 24 ensure that the garments, which are fed by the conveyor 20 between the tapes and the first trough 21, will pass into the nip between the second roll and its trough, and will remove any garment which tends to adhere to the roll.

The supports 22, 23 of the troughs are mounted on piston rods 31 projecting upwardly from jack cylinders 32 to the lower ends of which air under pressure is admitted from an air line 33 as shown in FIG. 3. The troughs 21 embrace the rolls 10 around approximately of their circumference.

In the construction shown in FIG. 2 the troughs are of sheet metal and are filled with oil and each contains a steam pipe 34 which fits closely between its inner and outer walls and is coiled in serpentine fashion in the trough with its convolutions extending horizontally. The steam pipes are connected by flexible inlet and outlet couplings (not shown) to a steam supply line.

In the alternative construction shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 each trough is formed of a metal plate 35, e.g., inch thick, in which is cut a serpentine steam channel 36. A thinner metal sheet 37, e.g., /4 inch thick, is welded to the thicker plate 35 around its edges as indicated at 39. Holes 40 are cut from the sheet 37 at points between the limbs of the channel 36 and the sheet 37 is welded to the plate 35 around the edge of each hole 40 as indicated at 41. The resulting assembly is then bent to form the trough, appropriate inlet and outlet connections being provided to the channel 36.

. Patented June 29, 1965 What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An ironing machine for use in laundries comprising a padded roll mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, a flexible heated trough embracing the lower portion of'said roll and cooperating with said roll to provide a pressure zone for ironing articles fed through the machine, said trough consisting of a first metal plate having a steam: channel cut in one surface thereof in serpentine configuration and a second-metal plate welded in face to face relation against the first metal plate and over said steam channel, said first metal plate being thicker than said second metal plate, jacks beneath the trough which apply upward pressure to the ends of the trough and means-for rotating the rolls to feed articles through the machine. I

2. An ironing machine for use in laundries comprising at least two padded rolls arranged in tandem for rotation about horizontal axes located at the same fixed level, flexible heated troughs, one for each roll, which embrace the lower portions of the rolls-and cooperate with the rolls to provide pressure zones for ironing articles fed through the machine, each of said troughs consisting of a first metal plate having a steam channel cut in one surface thereof in serpentine configuration and a second metal plate Welded in face to face relation against the first metal plate and over said steam channel, said first metal plate being thicker than said second metal plate, jacks beneath the ends of the troughs for applying upward pressure to the ends, of the troughs, and means for rotating the rolls to feed garments through the machine.

3. An ironing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second metal plate is welded to said first metal plate at its edges and also between adjoining portions of said steam channel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS a 515,996] 3/94 JO DAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. THOMAS J. HICKEY, Examiner. 

1. AN IRONING MACHINE FOR USE IN LAUNDRIES COMPRISING A PADDED ROLL MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS, A FLEXIBLE HEATED TROUGH EMBRACING THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID ROLL AND COOPERATING WITH SAID ROLL TO PROVIDE A PRESSURE ZONE FOR IRONING ARTICLES FED THROUGH THE MACHINE, SAID TROUGH CONSISTING OF A FIRST METAL PLATE HAVING A STEAM CHANNEL CUT IN ONE SURFACE THEREOF IN SERPENTINE CONFIGURATION AND A SECOND METAL PLATE WELDED IN FACE TO FACE RELATION AGAINST THE FIRST METAL PLATE AND OVER SAID STEAM CHANNEL, SAID FIRST METAL PLATE BEING THICKER THAN SAID SECOND METAL PLATE, JACKS BENEATH THE THROUGH WHICH APPLY UPWARD PRESSURE TO THE ENDS OF THE TROUGH AND MEANS FOR ROTATING THE ROLLS TO FEED ARTICLES THROUGH THE MACHINE. 